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L O D R I X 


THE LITTLE LAKE DWELLER 









V 


L O D R I X 


THE LITTLE LAKE DWELLER 


BY 

BELLE WILEY 

AND 

GRACE WILLARD EDICK 



D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
NEW YORK MCMV 


TT-l 

U 


LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 




CUSS A. XXc. Not 

/o t t Zo 

COPY B. 

>■ "> — — — 


Copyright, 1904, by 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 


TO 


THE CHILDREN 






CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I. — The people .... 
II. — The home .... 

III. — Preparation for the enemy 

IV. — On shore .... 
V. — Lodrix lost .... 

VI. — The capture 
VII. — The message. 

VIII. — With the bear people 


page 

. I 

. 12 
. i8 

• 25 

• 36 

• 45 

• 55 

. 65 

. 78 


IX. — The return 







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CHAPTER I 

THE PEOPLE 


Many years ago, there lived 
in the high regions of Switzer- 
land and France a people called 
the Lake- Dwellers. 

These people did not live on 


2 


LODRIX 


land, as we do, but on the many 
lakes hidden among the high 
mountains. 

The mountain-sides were thick 
with forests which hid the lake- 
houses from the 
e who lived 
on the land. 

Lodrix was the 
chief’s son, and 
he was a very 
brave boy though he was only 
twelve years old. 

This little boy had flaxen hair 
and blue eyes. His fair skin was 




THE PEOPLE 


3 


very much tanned, because he was 
out of doors much of the time. 

His clothing was of deerskin 
and was thrown 
loosely about him. 

Lodrix looked very 
much like his mother, 
but her dress 
was very d 
ferent. 

Her wai 
was of coar 
brown cloth fastened under a 
skirt of deerskin, and her shoul- 
ders and arms were bare. 



4 


LODRIX 


Her thick light hair was coiled 
on the top of her head and had 
many bone and bronze pins in it. 

Around her neck were beads 
of amber, bone and glass, and a 
necklace made from the teeth of 
wolves. 

On her arms and legs she 

wore wide bronze bracelets. She 
was very proud 
of them, because 
not many women 
among the Lake- 
Dwellers had bracelets made of 
bronze. 



THE PEOPLE 


5 


Lodrix’s father, the chief of 
the Dormorants, was a very 
brave man. 

His people 
loved him and al- 
ways obeyed him. 

One day, when 
the chief and his 
son were on the 
lake fishing, they heard the sound 
of a horn. 

Lodrix listened, then said, 
“That is mother’s call ; she 
must need us.” 

In great haste they paddled 



6 


LODRIX 


toward the sound of the horn, 
and across the lake they could 
see the mother waving her 

hands to them. 

She stood on a platform which 
was built upon 
thousands of ce- 
dar piles, driven 
into the bottom 
of the lake. 

These piles 
were held in 
place by stones 
and rushes that had been let 

down into the water. 



THE PEOPLE 


7 


As they paddled nearer, they 
could see that something had 
happened. 

They hurried to 
climb the notched lad- 
der which led to the 
platform. 

Then they followed 
the mother into the 
one -room hut which was their 
home. 

They sat down on blocks of 
wood about the stone fire-place, 
while the mother told the chief 
what had happened. 



LODRIX 


She said that one of their 
tribe, who had just returned 
from hunting, had told her that 



getting ready to burn down the 
Lake-Dweller homes. 



THE PEOPLE 


9 


When Lodrix heard this, he 
ran to his father and said, “May 
I get ready to fight, father?” 

The chief put his hands on 
his son’s head, saying, “ My 
brave boy.” 

Then he told Lodrix to go 
out and call the people to- 
gether. 

Soon they came, hundreds of 
them, from the many square huts 
which were crowded about the 
chief’s home. 

These houses were built from 
cedar poles matted together with 


lo LODRIX 

twigs and plastered both inside 
and out with two or three inches 
of clay. 

There were one or 
two small windows 
without shutters and 
one low door. 

The roofs were made 
of straw or rushes 
and the floors were 
often plastered with 
clay and gravel. 

In the center of the roof was 
a hole through which the smoke 
escaped, and in the floor was a 



THE PEOPLE 


1 1 

small trap-door that opened over 
the lake. 

The Lake-Dwellers often fished 
from these doors. 


CHAPTER II 


THE HOME 

While Lodrix summoned the 
people, the chief rushed out to 
pull back the drawbridge which 
connected their homes with the 
land. 

The lake people were very 
much frightened. They knew 


THE HOME 13 

that the people on land were 
their enemies ; so they were 
ready to obey every command of 
their chief. 

First he called 
for the messenger 
who had brought 
the news. 

A youth with 
a deer hanging 
from his shoulder 
stepped forward. 

Laying the deer at the chief’s 
feet, the boy said, “My chief! 
As I was hunting, I met the 



LODRIX 


14 

boy Tevico, whom you once saved 
from the wolves in the forest. 

“He told me that his tribe 
was getting ready to make war 
upon us and to burn our dwellings. 

“So I hurried here to tell 
you, that we, too, might prepare 
for war.” 

Just then Lodrix, running into 
the house, shouted, “ O father ! 
Come quickly ! ” 

Out rushed the chief, followed 
by his people. 

What they saw made them 
tremble with fear. 


THE HOME 


15 


On the shore of the lake stood 
hundreds of people waving their 
stone axes and shouting in great 
anger. 

The chief had pulled up the 
drawbridge just in time. 

When the Bear people found 
they could not reach the Lake- 
Dwellers, they went away. 

The chief of the Dormorants 
told his people that they must 
keep close watch, for their ene- 
mies would surely come back. 

After choosing men to guard 
the village, the people went back 


i6 LODRIX 

to their homes, while the chief 

and his son went into the house. 

They sat down on the blocks 
of wood which were the only 
furniture of their home; 
then Lodrix watched 
his mother skin the 
deer with the sharp 
stone knife, and his father 
light the fire in the stone 
fireplace. 

The chief was so hun- 
gry that he ate the deer 
meat nearly raw. 

Lodrix did not care for the 



THE HOME 


17 


meat, but ate some cakes which 
had been made from powdered 
grain and cooked on the hot 
stones. He ate some sour cher- 
ries too, and plums which had 
been picked from the trees on 
the shore of the lake and dried. 




CHAPTER III 

PREPARATION FOR THE ENEMY 

When the father had finished 
eating, Lodrix fed the horses, the 
sheep, and the goats that were 
waiting outside for their dinner. 

The mother threw the bones 
of the deer into the lake, through 

i8 


PREPARATION FOR THE ENEMY 19 

the trap-door, and laid the skin 
in the sun to dry. 

When he had made sure that 
everything was secure and had 
sent Lodrix with a message to 
one of the Lake-Dwellers, the 
chief lay down on a skin to 
sleep. 

Lodrix hurried off to do his 
father’s bidding. 

He was to say that the draw- 
bridge must not be put down for 
several days, for they were afraid 
the Bear people might enter their 
village. 


20 


LODRIX 


As the chief’s son entered the 
hut where he was to leave his 
message, he 
saw a little 
baby. 

The baby 
was tied by a 
long cord to one of the blocks of 
wood to keep her from falling 
through the trap-door. 

He told the baby’s father what 
the chief had said and then went 
toward the child, who stretched 
out her little hands to him. 

Lodrix loved babies and was 



PREPARATION FOR THE ENEMY 21 

glad to play with this little 
one. 

He took her to the trap-door, 
keeping tight hold of her hand. 
Then he took a basket made of 
rushes and lowered it, through 
the opening, into the lake. 

The baby clapped her hands 
with glee as she saw the little 
fish squirming in the basket when 
Lodrix drew it up. 

Lodrix laughed, too, because 
the little baby was happy. 

The baby’s sister, who sat 
grinding grain in the stone mor- 


LODRIX 




tar, looked up and smiled at the 
happy children. 



Even the mother smiled as 
she worked busily at the loom, 
where she was weaving coarse 


PREPARATION FOR THE ENEMY 23 
cloth from threads of flax which 
the Lake- Dwellers had raised on 
the shore of the lake. 

At sunset Lodrix said, “ good- 
by ” and started for 
home. 

On his way the 
beautiful clear moon 
seemed to speak to 
him. 

Lodrix stopped a 
moment and prayed to it ; prayed 
that his people might be safe 
from their enemies on the land. 

As he walked along, he spoke 



24 


LODRIX 


to many people who were anx- 
iously watching the opposite shore. 

They were straining their eyes 
for the first glimpse of the peo- 
ple on the land, because they 
feared that at nightfall these ene- 
mies might come again. 

Lodrix wished to join in the 
watch, but he was only a little boy 
and the chief said that he must 
stay at home with his mother. 



CHAPTER IV 

ON SHORE 

So the little boy went into the 
house and was soon fast asleep. 

The mother 
lay down on a 
bearskin and 
rested her head on a clay crescent. 

25 



26 


LODRIX 


The Lake - Dweller women 
needed these head-rests because 
they did not take down their 
hair when they slept, and the 
bronze and bone pins made their 
heads very heavy. 

And now while the men were 
on guard peace rested upon the 
village of the Dormorants. 

The next day, the watchers 
slept while others took their 
places. 

For three days, the Lake- 
Dwellers looked for signs of the 
enemy, but the Bear tribe seemed 


ON SHORE 


27 


to have forgotten them 
and to have returned 
to their homes. 

If the Lake-Dweller 
chief had been on land, 
he might have seen 
some of the Bear tribe 
hiding behind the tall 
oak and cedar trees in 
the forest. 

They were watching 
to see what the lake 
people would do, and 
to report what they 
saw to their chief. 



28 


LODRIX 


On the fourth day, when every- 
thing seemed quiet, the chief of 
the Cormorants ordered the draw- 
bridge to be put in place, and 
stationed a man at the end to 
watch for the enemy. Then he 
sent a messenger to the chief of 
a Lake-Dweller village near by. 

The messenger was to ask the 
chief to be ready at any time to 
help the Cormorants, if the Bear 
tribe should attack them. 



ON SHORE 


29 


Then the chief ordered his men 
to be prepared for battle at any 
moment, because he was afraid 
that the enemy would soon try 
again to reach the village. 

He ordered them to sharpen 
their swords, lances and axes, 
and get ready their bows and 
arrows. 

Lodrix was so excited that he 
could not keep still, and almost 
hoped that the enemy would come 
back, so that he might have a 
chance to fight. 

The chiefs son had never been 


3 ° 


LODRIX 


in a battle, and he was anxious 
to take part in one. 

He begged his father to let 
him take the sword which hung 



in the bronze scabbard on the 
wall. 

But his father gave him an- 


ON SHORE 


31 



other sword, because the one in 
the scabbard was too large and 
heavy for a young boy. 

Lodrix was very 
proud of his sword, 
and ran about show- 
ing it to his friends. 

Soon the men were 
ready to start. Some 
of them lowered their 
cedar dugouts, and 
climbed down the 
notched poles with 
their fishing spears in 
their hands. 


32 


LODRIX 


They paddled to that part of 
the lake where they knew they 
could catch some fine fish. 

Others crossed the bridge, with 
their bows and arrows hanging 
from their shoulders. 

They wished to kill some deer 
in the forest and cut down some 
cedar trees for fire -wood. 

Lodrix pleaded so hard to go 
hunting that his father said he 
might go, so he started off with 
the men. 

They stopped to look at the 
fruit trees growing along the shore. 


ON SHORE 


33 


“ Where is the fruit ? ” asked 
Lodrix. 



it ! ” answered one of the men. 

“ See ! They have taken our 
grain, too ! ” said another. 


34 


LODRIX 


This made Lodrix wish more 
than ever that he might fight 
these people. 

He knew his father would be 
angry, too, when they told him 
what had been done. 

They wondered where they 
would get food for the winter. 

They knew they must work 
very hard to get the soil ready 
for more grain, and that they 
must fish and hunt a great deal 
or they would have no dried meat 
to store away. 

These thoughts made them very 


ON SHORE 


35 


sad, and they did not say much 
as they walked on through the 
forests. 






CHAPTER V 

LODRIX LOST 

“ Look ! ” said Lodrix, darting 
off toward a deer whose antlers 
he saw in the distance. 

The men smiled at one an- 

3h 


LODRIX LOST 


37 


other, proud to see their chiefs 
son fond of the hunt. 

They did not follow, for they 
wished to see if Lodrix could 
kill the deer alone. 

They turned toward a mound 
which held the tomb where their 
former chiefs were buried. 


38 


LODRIX 


This tomb was a small stone 
room which the Lake-Dwellers 
had built, and then covered with 
soil. 

They thought of the time when 
they had carried Lodrix’s grand- 
father to this stone room. The 
men had stood about with light- 
ed torches, and the women with 
their hair hanging over their 
faces had shed many bitter tears 
for the dead chief. 

Then, after they had put the 
bronze and stone weapons beside 
their chief, they had gathered 


LODRIX LOST 


39 


about the hill and chosen a new 
one. 

They always chose for their 
new chief the bravest and strong- 
est man of all the tribe. The 
brave and strong chief they chose 
that day was Lodrix’s father. 

For a time the men had for- 
gotten Lodrix, then one of them 
said : “ Lodrix has not come back. 
Where can he be?” 

They looked about, but could 
see no trace of their chief’s 
son. 

With fear in their hearts, they 


40 LODRIX 

separated and ran in many direc- 
tions through the forest. 



They shouted, “Lodrix! Lodrix!” 
but their calls were not answered. 


LODRIX LOST 


41 


They did not stop to shoot the 
deer, but ran on and on, so 
anxious were they to find the 
boy. 

Again and again they called, 
but no answer came. 

They could not find Lodrix, 
and yet they dared not go home 
without him. 

All day the men hunted for 
Lodrix, shouting the boy’s name 
as loudly as they could. 

At nightfall they stood on the 
shore of the lake looking toward 
their village and wondering how 


42 


LODRIX 


they could tell their chief that 

his son was lost. 

Silently they walked toward 

the bridge and with bowed 

heads they 
crossed it. 

When they 
reached the 
round hut of 
their chief, they 
stood quite still, 
fearing to go in. 
The chief, 
who had been watching for his 

son, came out of the low door. 



LODRIX LOST 


43 


“ What is the matter ? ” he 
said. “Where is Lodrix?” 

The men stood silent. They 
could not answer. 

“ My son ! Where is my 
son ? ” 

Then one of the men said, 
“ He is lost in the forest, my 
chief. We looked for him all 
day, but could not find him.” 

The chief raised his hands to 
the moon, praying that his son 
might be found. 

Then he asked the men for 
the whole story. 


44 


LODRIX 


It was but a few minutes be- 
fore all the men in the village 
were roused and a hunting party 
started out to look for their 
chief’s son. 


Some of the men stayed to 
guard the homes, but the chief 
went with the hunting party. 



CHAPTER VI 

THE CAPTURE 

Lodrix had no fear as he 
chased the deer into the thick 
forest. 

He forgot that his father had 
told him not to stray far from 
the men. 

On and on he ran, thinking of 
nothing but the deer. 

At last he saw the beautiful 
deer not far away . Softly he 

45 


46 


LODRIX 


knelt down. He raised his bow 
and took steady aim. 

He did not hear stealthy foot- 



steps coming nearer and nearer 
behind him. 

Suddenly he was held m strong 


THE CAPTURE 


47 


arms, and looking up, he saw 
many strange faces about him. 

He was too frightened to call 
for help, for he knew that these 
were the Bear people. 

As they carried him away, he 
struggled, but the arms that held 
him were very strong and he 
could not free himself. 

They walked on and on, 
through the thick forest, farther 
and farther away, and Lodrix 
wondered where he was going 
and what would happen. 

He thought of his father and 


LODRIX 


mother and the men who, he 
knew, were looking for him. 

Tears came to his eyes, but he 
did not cry, because he was too 
brave a boy. 

These people did not talk to 
him, nor did they talk to one 
another. 

L o d r i X could 
hear nothing but 
the cry of the 
wolves in the dis- 
tance. 

Everything seemed strange, and 
the boy did not know where he was. 



THE CAPTURE 


49 


He had never been so far from 
home before. 

On and on they went. 

Lodrix could hardly walk, he 
was so tired. 

Just as the sun went down, 
they came to the village of the 
Bear people. 

The men led Lodrix to one of 
the huts and gave him food. 

When he had eaten some meat, 
he threw himself on a skin and 
fell asleep. 

While he slept, the Bear peo- 
ple were talking about him and 


5 ° 


LODRIX 


the chief was deciding what should 
be done. 

Lodrix slept long, and when 
he wakened the sun was shining 
through the 
doorway. 

The boy 
looked about 
him in wonder 
and for a mo- 
ment did not know where he was. 

Then he saw Tevico, who was 
standing near him. 

Tevico had been left to guard 
the prisoner, but the Bear people 



THE CAPTURE 51 

did not know that Lodrix’s father 
had once saved Tevico’s life. 

This young watcher felt very 
friendly toward the Lake-Dweller 
people, and he was ready to help 
the captive boy. 

When Lodrix saw Tevico, he 
said, “ Where am I ? Why am 
I here ? ” 

“You have been taken pris- 
oner by the Bear people because 
they hate your father and your 
people. 

“ I have been left here to 
guard you, and I will be your 


LODRIX 


friend if you will let me. 
I have not forgotten that 
your father once saved me 
from the wolves. 

“You must be very 
careful not to show my 
people that we are friends 
or they will not let me 
stay with you. 

“ When I get 
a chance I will let 
your father know 
where you are and 
how he can 
get you. 



THE CAPTURE 


53 


“ Last night, my people held a 
council and decided to kill you, 
but I told them that your father 
had much bronze which he would 
give my tribe for your safe re- 
turn.” 

Lodrix stood up and grasped 
Tevico’s hand, for he was glad 
to find a friend here, among his 
enemies. 

“ My father will give anything 
your people ask for my freedom,” 
said the boy. “ Send to him 
and tell him where I am.” 

“ I can not go till my chief 


54 


LODRIX 


sends me,” Tevico said. “ Do 
not fear. You will soon be at 
home again. 

“ Here is some deer meat for 
you. Eat it, for you must be 
hungry.” 

Lodrix tried to eat, but could 
not, for he was so homesick 
that he could scarcely keep from 
crying. 


CHAPTER VII 

THE MESSAGE 

Tevico had stooped down and 
was looking 
through the low 
doorway. 

“ Here comes 
my chief!” he 
said. “See! He 
is coming toward 
this hut.” 

Lodrix looked 



55 


56 


LODRIX 


too, and saw a large man coming 
toward him. 

As the chief came up, Lodrix 
said to him : “ Send to my fa- 

ther ; he will give you and your 
people all that you ask if you 
will take me home.” 

“We ask bronze,” said the 
chief. “ Will your father give 
that ?” 

“The chief of the Dormorants 
has much bronze,” said Lodrix. 
“He will give you all you ask 
if you will send a messenger to 
him.” 


THE MESSAGE 


57 


“Go, Tevico,” said the chief. 
“Go to the chief of the Dormo- 
rants, and tell him that we hold 
his son a prisoner. We will not 
harm him and will 



send him home if 
he will give us all 
the bronze in his 41 


village.” 

Tevico bowed to 

his chief and ran swiftly away 
through the forest. 

He hurried onward, never stop- 
ping to look at the deer as they 
crossed his path or to answer 


58 LODRIX 

the birds as they sang in the 

tree tops. 



He did not even stop to 
rest, though he was panting for 
breath. 

As he raced on he saw a man 
in the distance. 

When the man saw Tevico, 
he called loudly to him. 


THE MESSAGE 


59 

“ Our chief’s son is lost in the 
forest. Have you seen him?” 

Tevico stopped and waited till 
the man came near him. 

“Where is your chief?” the 
boy asked. “Is he in the for- 
est ? ” 

The man nodded his head and 
pointed in an opposite direction. 

“ I must see him. I have 
news of his son,” said Tevico. 

“ Come with me, I will take 
you to him,” said the man eager- 
ly, and away they both ran to 
find the chief. 


6o 


LODRIX 


They did not speak as they 
ran swiftly through the forest. 

On their way, they met others 
of the Lake- Dwellers who had 
been searching for Lodrix. 

As they came up to the chief, 
he was looking sadly about him. 

All night long they had hunt- 
ed, but had found no trace of the 
lost boy. 

When Tevico approached, the 
chief raised his eyes and looked 
at him with wonder. 

Then Tevico stood before him 
and said : “ I bear a message 


THE MESSAGE 


6i 

from the chief of my people to 
the chief of the Dormorants. 

Your son is safe in 

the hands of the Bear 

people. 

“If you will give to 
my tribe all the bronze 
of your village, they will 
return your son to you. 

“If you will not give 
your bronze, Lodrix will 
be killed, because the 

Bear people are your enemies.” 

The chief listened to the words pf 
the boy, then called his men to him. 




62 


LODRIX 


He told them what the mes- 
senger had said, then stood si- 
lent, wondering what their answer 
would be. 

The men wished to fight, but 
they knew fighting could not save 
Lodrix, for the Bear people would 
surely kill him. 

Their bronze was very precious 
to them and they hated to give 
it to their enemies, but they 
loved their chief and knew that 
Lodrix must be saved. So they 
said : 

“ Chief, what we have is yours. 


THE MESSAGE 63 

Take our bronze if it will bring 
your son back to us.” 

Then the chief said to Tevico: 
“ Hasten back to your chief! 
Tell him that the Dormorants 
will give to him all the bronze 



of their village for the safe return 
of Lodrix. 


64 


LODRIX 


“Tell him to send Lodrix to 
the shore of our lake at sunrise. 
A messenger will be there who 
will give him the bronze he asks. 

“ Now go, Tevico, and carry 
my message to your chief.” 


CHAPTER VIII 

WITH THE BEAR PEOPLE 

Tevico turned homeward, leav- 
ing the Lake-Dwellers glad that 
they had news of Lodrix, but sad 
that they must give their bronze 
to their enemies. 

Together they walked through 
the forest to the shore of the 
lake and crossed the bridge to 
their village. 

The women were crowded to- 

65 


66 


LODRIX 



gether, waiting 
for tidings of 
Lodrix. 

The chief’s 
wife rushed 
toward him cry- 
ing: “Lodrix, 
my son! Where 
is he ? Did you 
find him ? ” 

“He is safe, but in the hands 


WITH THE BEAR PEOPLE 67 
of our enemy,” said the chief. 
“ He will be returned to us at 
sunrise, but we must give to 
these people all the bronze in 
our village.” Turning to his 
people, he said : “ Let us collect 
our treasure at once, that it may 
be ready in time. 

“ Some day my son shall repay 
you for this great sacrifice. 

“ Go, now, to your homes and 
bring the precious metal to me.” 

The men started off to obey 
the command of their chief. 

Slowly they walked to their 


68 


LODRIX 


huts and quietly collected what 
bronze they had. 


It was only a short time before 
they were again together at the 
chiefs hut. 



They entered and placed their 
bronze in a pile on the floor. 


The chief had collected his 
bronze too, and motioned to one 


WITH THE BEAR PEOPLE 69 
of the men to put it with the 
rest. 

There were many kinds of 
weapons in this pile : bronze 
scabbards, knives with bronze 
handles, bronze hammers, bronze 
hooks, and bronze bracelets and 
pins which the women had given. 

The chief had given most of 
all. He had a great amount, 
because the people of other lake 
villages had often sent him pres- 
ents of bronze. 

The people looked longingly at 
the treasure for a few moments. 


70 LODRIX 

then, at the order of their chief, 
put it in a large skin bag ready 
for the messenger. 

All day long the 
Lake-Dwellers thought 
of Lodrix in the hands 
of the enemy, and they could 
hardly wait for the morning when 
he would return. 

In the village of the Bear 
tribe, Lodrix was watching and 
waiting for Tevico. 

He hoped that the messenger 
would find his father, and he 
knew that his people would give 



WITH THE BEAR PEOPLE 71 
their precious bronze for his re- 
turn. 

He almost wished that Tevico 
had stayed and that some other 
messenger had been sent, for now 
he was alone among his 
enemies. 

As Lodrix sat in the 
hut, he heard a shout, 
and looking up, he saw 
a little boy standing in 
the doorway. 

“Come out, Lodrix,” 
said the boy. “ I am the chief’s son, 
and I will show you our village.” 



72 


LODRIX 


Lodrix 
to get out 


jumped up, very glad 
of the hut, and the two 



boys walked off together through 
the village. 


WITH THE BEAR PEOPLE 


73 


As they went along, Lodrix 
saw many strange things. 

He had never seen a land vil- 
lage before, because his people 
never went far from the lake. 

These huts were not built on 
piles as the lake - 



huts were, and it 
seemed strange to 
see no water and 
no boats. 


The sheep and goats that were 
running about, looked very much 
like his own, and as they came tow- 
ard Lodrix, they seemed friendly. 


74 


LODRIX 


“Come to my house,” said the 
little boy. “ My father wishes to 
see you.” 

So the boys ran toward the 
largest hut in the Bear village. 

They were out of breath when 
they reached it and were glad to 
throw themselves on the bearskin 
which lay outside the door. 

The chief came out of the hut, 
and looked kindly at the two 




76 


LODRIX 


He beckoned Lodrix to him, 
and said : 

“ How much bronze is there 
in your father’s village ? ” 

Lodrix answered : 

“There is more bronze in the 
village of the Dormorants than 
in any other village on the 
lake.” 

“ Is there more than one mes- 
senger can carry ? ” said the 
chief. 

“You must send a strong mes- 
senger,” said Lodrix, “for our 
bronze is very heavy.” 


WITH THE BEAR PEOPLE 77 

The chief thought a moment, 
then turned to his son and said, 
“You may take Lodrix about the 
village, but do not go far, for 
Tevico will return at sunset.” 


LofC. 


CHAPTER IX 

THE RETURN 

Just as the moon was rising 
Tevico came. 

H e was very tired, 
for his journey had 
been a long one, but 
he was glad to bring 
good news to his peo- 
ple and to Lodrix. 
The Bear people had come to- 
gether and were waiting for Tevico. 

78 



THE RETURN 


79 


They were very glad to hear 
the message for it meant great 
wealth for them. 



8o 


LODRIX 


They would now have more 
bronze than any other land tribe. 

“ Lodrix must be sent home. 
We must have a messenger,” said 



the chief. “ He must be very 
strong, for the bronze is heavy.” 
Then he chose one of the 


THE RETURN 


strongest of the men, who started 
off with Lodrix. 

At sunrise, they reached the 
shore of the lake. 

There the Lake-Dweller mes- 
senger was wait- 
ing with the 
bronze. 

N ot a word 
was spoken. 

The I 
senger of 
Bear 

took the bag of bronze, and Lo- 
drix with the other messenger 



82 


LODRIX 


hurried across the bridge to his 
home. 

There his mother and father 
and all his tribe were waiting to 
welcome him. 

They crowded about the chief’s 
hut and listened, as Lodrix told 
the story of his capture. 

When Lodrix had finished his 
story, he went into the hut to 
rest. 

He soon fell asleep, tired from 
his long journey. 

Then the chief sent two men 
to pull up the drawbridge which 


THE RETURN 


83 

had been down since early morn- 
ing. 

He still feared that the Bear 
tribe would attack them. 



After this had been done, the 
chief said to his people : “ My 

son has returned to us. Now 
we must think of winter. 

“ Our fruit-trees have been 
destroyed by our enemies and 


84 


LODRIX 


we have very little dried fruit 
left. 

“We will have to hunt and 
fish every day, that we may have 
enough food to last us through 
the winter.” 

As the chief was talking, a 
messenger, who had been sent 
by the people of another Lake 
village, came up. 

He said: “Chief, my people 
offer help to you and your 
tribe. 

“They know that your fruit- 
trees have been destroyed. 


THE RETURN 


85 


“They have plenty of food to 
give you if 
you need it. 

“ They are 
glad that your 
son has been 
returned to 
you.” 

This mes- 
sage made the 
Lake- Dweller 
people very 
happy, and before separating, they 
planned to come together that 
night for a feast of thanksgiving. 



86 


LODRIX 


At sunset, as they sat eating 
and drinking, they made a solemn 
pledge that some day they would 
conquer the Bear tribe and get 
back their bronze. 

That night the moon shone 
upon them, as they stood with 
outstretched arms, praying to it 
for strength to fulfil their vow. 

( 1 ) 


THE END 

















